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Cornell University, Classes: One Girl in All the World and American Flow

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Batwoman

Batwoman is probably my new favorite superheroine that we've discussed in this class. I love that she can be super bad-ass while still having her feminine side (though she is fairly gender-fluid) and all the while remains a 3-dimensional character with real human relationships. She does make a statement in how different she is from the typical superhero - she's a lesbian for one thing, somewhat gender-fluid, as I stated before, and even Jewish (if you look closely at the bottom panel 15 pages into issue 2, you can see a menorah and a pair of shabbat candles behind Kate's father). But this is not her entire purpose - just part of her character. In an interview with DC Executive Editor Dan DiDio, he said: "When we introduced Batwoman we wanted to make the readers very aware of the fact she was gay, but more importantly that she was a strong superhero in her own right. The stories and the characters always come first." says DiDio. "We don’t make decisions like, ‘Let’s tackle racism or homophobia in the next issue of Superman.’ Gay and lesbian heroes — and villains — are a part of the DC Universe, and their stories are just as interesting as the straight ones." (http://www.comicmix.com/news/2008/02/07/catching-up-with-dcs-lesbian-superheroes/) I must say, I'm very proud of DC for this statement. It really shows how far they've come in the comic book world.

I also love to see what great reactions this graphic novel has gotten from the public. As I read in an article titled "'Batwoman Elegy': Boobs aren't the only female superpower" by Heather Hogan, (http://www.afterellen.com/blog/stuntdouble/batwoman-elegy-boobs-aren't-the-only-female-superpower) “A guy my age came into the comic shop and asked for Elegy as I was signing my name onto the wait list. I asked him what he liked about Batwoman and he said, ‘I like a hero that can do more than shove her t--s in my face, you know? Boobs aren’t a superpower.’” This is once again refreshing - to see male comic book readers happy about the developments of Batwoman. I definitely agree with this guy.

7 comments:

Batwoman is definitely one of the best superheroines we've read about so far. I like how she's such a unique character that her sexual orientation doesn't define who she is. It really shows that Dan DiDio's quote about Batwoman is absolutely true. It's obvious that they didn't make her a lesbian for the sake of being able to say "Yes we made a lesbian superheroine to be'diverse'". I wouldn't be surprised if her sexual orientation was used as a method of exploitation to appeal to a wider audience. However, Batwoman's character is so well rounded and genuine, that it appeals to a wide audience anyway.

I support all of the above. We've discussed in class how especially in earlier comic books, woman were present to either play the girlfriend role, or be a damsel in distress. Even in Rogue, though she is clearly the main power, she still does her fair share of playing the girlfriend role to a boy. I think one thing that is particularly refreshing about this story is that she plays to allegiance to a guy (romantically), and therefore can really be a strong, independent woman who kicks ass and is appreciated for who she is.

It's definitely true that Batwoman is less generous when it comes to exposing her skin compared to other superheroines that we read about so far but I don't agree with the breats comment because if there is one thing that is more prominent about Batwoman it is her extremely sharp nipples that even pops out of her costume. Just take a look at the drawings.

I find Batwoman's dark humor and mocking attitude quite refreshing, and I think it mixes very well with the Gotham City backdrop. In response to Volkan's comment...I noticed that too about Batwoman, and just passed it off as "being realistic" (she is in a tight bodysuit, after all). Now that I think about it...no, Batwoman's breasts are still comparable to those of other popular superheroines. Fan service until the end?

Back to what Michele said about the male's comment, I think what he said is applicable to many males who are true fans of comics. Imagine having to see the same kind of over-sexualized woman again and again without a real reason for being portrayed in such a way. I personally would get quite annoyed, blaming the creators for inserting such characters without a plot to support their existence. I think this is an example of a double standard, for although this opinion may resonate with many men, we will continue to highlight it as the one positive comment, giving props to whoever made such a statement. It's as though society is used to bashing men and accusing them of having a degrading regard towards women. When one positive comment comes along it signifies "progress in the comic book world," when in reality, many people currently hold and have always held such positive opinions.

Batwoman's witty remarks are quite innovative since what we have read before Batwoman was mainly "Bang" or "Pow" kind of comics where women were naive enough to let the villains escape because they could easily be distracted.